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Riviera Maya Gears Up for Fall

Riviera Maya, one of Mexico's most exclusive and upscale regions, is gearing up for the fall season, with plenty in store for travelers. Travel Agent met with Dario Flota Ocampo, the general director of Riviera Maya's Destination Marketing Office last week to find out what's on the agenda.

Festivals, galore! Mexico is a country that loves to celebrate with color and pizzaz. At the end of October, all of Mexico honors the Day of the Dead. Riviera Maya hosts Mayan communities who come with food, singers and cultural sights. Riviera Maya is using this year (the 200th year of Mexico's independence) to talk about the country's history and is gearing the event toward children. A Kid's Pavilion will be set up for workshops.

November 25 will kick off the eighth annual Riviera Maya Jazz Festival at Mamitas Beach Club in Playa del Carmen. The free event has been known to draw the likes of Herbie Hancock, Kool and the Gang, Gino Vanelli, Pat Martino, Sergio Mendes and more.

With the region's white sand beaches and Caribbean water, it is becoming increasingly popular for destination weddings. Ocampo tells us that at the end of September Playa del Carmen will be hosting a wedding planner trade show, as the destination grows in popularity among betrothed couples.

Construction has begun on three new top-of-the-line properties, which are slated to open at the end of 2011. These include Auberge, Saint Regis and J.W. Marriott, the first U.S. brands to open in the destination. A new golf course is also slated to open end of next year.

The region is looking to increase airline frequency from the U.S. As of now, travelers headed to the Riviera Maya fly into Cancun, a good two hours from the region. However a new airport in Tulum is in the works. In January the Mexican government will decide who will work on the airport. Spirit and JetBlue are among to of the airlines the region is looking into. Frontier Airlines is also looking to expand service to the Riviera Maya from the Midwest.

Ocampo tells Travel Agent that the majority of travelers to Riviera Maya come from the Northeast, but numbers show that interest is moving westward as arrivals numbers from Texas and California continue to grow.